The spectacular rivalry F1 2018 promises

Forget the so-called rivalry between Mercedes and Ferrari - the 2018 Formula 1 season promises to pit two of the biggest underachievers of recent times against each other to prove they're not spent forces

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has often described his team's relationship with Formula 1 title rival Ferrari as that of 'frenemies': battling as hard as possible on track while enjoying cordial relations off it.

That's probably a fair assessment, for despite a few tetchy moments - such as last year's oil-burn controversy, or Sebastian Vettel driving into Lewis Hamilton in Baku - it has been rare for the Silver Arrows and the Prancing Horse to allow competitive circumstances to sour their rapport.